Chapter 68: Original Version 

"Get ready! Three, two, one..."

'Action!"

"Xiaoxiao."

After the clapper took away the slate, Gu Xizhi said a line and then looked at Qu Xizhi's profile quietly.

Her waist-length black hair was tucked behind her ears, and her fair skin glowed slightly in the sun. Her eyelashes were so long that from this angle, when she slightly lowered her eyelids, her dense eyelashes seemed to cover her entire eyes.

After a look of infatuation, Gu Xizhi turned over and knelt on Qu Xizhi's lap. With one hand, she lifted Qu Xizhi's chin. There were no lines, but her expressive eyes were filled with deep affection.

This is an uncontrollable, completely uncontrollable liking.

Just like when a woman sees her favorite clothes in a high-end shop window on the street, the kind of look that couldn't be restrained.

Qu Xizhi's eyes met hers, and her expression and eyes revealed Yun Xiaoxiao's gentle temperament.

The girl's cheeks were slightly flushed, and the look in her eyes was that of a girl's infatuation and hesitation to speak. Even though she was Qu Xizhi, at this moment, she had no connection with Qu Xizhi.

Spring is just right and love is strong, Gu Xizhi took a deep look at her, leaned down, and kissed her lips clumsily.

It was no longer the initial aversion to acting with someone, and for Gu Xizhi at this moment, it didn't matter if it was Yun Xiaoxiao or anyone else in this situation. Even though it was a bit awkward, this awkwardness didn't affect this crucial scene.

Their lips pressed together, and they nudged each other randomly. Gu Xizhi hooked her neck and gently brushed her upper lip with her lower lip, trying hard to infect the other person with her enthusiasm.

Her lips were soft and her breath was gentle. Gu Xizhi kissed her methodically, just as Qin Shiyu would kiss Yun Xiaoxiao in the scene.

The sunlight pierced through the branches and cast sparse shadows on the grass. Birds flew low over the lake, spreading their wings and hovering in the sky.

Thousands of miles of clouds in the distance, flying willows and flowers nearby.

All the crew members on location were dedicated to working on capturing this scene, and many of them hoped that this shot would be successful.

Gu Xizhi also hoped for the same.

Time passed bit by bit, and the camera did not give up on the two actors, nor did the staff give up on the scene. Gu Xizhi was also trying to break through herself to help the other party find the state, but the time dragged on for too long, and Gu Xizhi soon knew that the result of this scene would be another failure.

Halfway through the kissing scene, she kissed her hard several times in an attempt to get a little warm response from the other party, but no matter how hard she tried to tease, there was no sign that she could achieve what was in the script."Slightly confused breath" requirement.

She was like the chaste Liuxia Hui* without any feeling or reaction to her kiss.

*an ancient Chinese politician who is known to be a man of eminent virtue. 

Only one side's enthusiastic kisses make the scene look unpleasant, but Scarlett Li still didn't call for a stop.

Even if this scene doesn't pass, she must at least get two actors in the mood for acting. If one kiss isn't good, many kisses will do. Since both actresses took this role, there's no reason for them to dislike each other. As long as they don't dislike each other, they won't reject this close contact.

Probably feeling the pressure from the set, Gu Xizhi pressed her lips down while hesitantly sticking out the tip of her tongue, attempting to use this very immodest gesture to open her lips. Her other hand also hooked around her neck, showing a determined effort to sincerely influence the other with emotions.

But Qu Xizhi didn't let the tip of her tongue enter at all.

"Cut."

The passive resistance from the other party made all attempts seem particularly awkward. Scarlett Li paused the filming and said to the two of them, "You both take a break for now. Makeup artists, do Liu Yun's makeup. We'll film the supporting roles later."

The director gave an order to the on-site staff to stop working. Scarlett Li glanced at Gu Xizhi and said, "You two, come with me."

The rockery was located far away from the crowd. After arriving at the rockery, Scarlett Li lit a cigarette and turned around when she heard a pair of footsteps approaching behind her.

Gu Xizhi's makeup had probably been messed up due to the previous passion and nervousness, she looked quite defeated with her eyes and brows lowered. On the other hand, Qu Xizhi had completely transformed off-camera, as if the earlier shyness was just an old dream.

"You two don't have a good relationship, do you?" Scarlett Li put down her cigarette and asked straight to the point.

Gu Xizhi lowered her head and did not want to answer, but Qu Xizhi directly met Li Scarlett's gaze.

"No."Qu Xizhi's tone was very natural," It's just that I'm not used to it. Maybe it would be better to take a break and adjust my mentality."

"Not used to it?" After hearing this, Scarlett Li pondered for a moment. "Should we have Ara come over and explain it to her? This is just acting."

"No need," Qu Xizhi glanced at Gu Xizhi, "Give us some time, I'll discuss with her again about what to do."

Scarlett Li looked at the time on her watch and said, "I'll give you twenty minutes. Come over later and film the following scene."

Qu Xizhi nodded.

The smell of the cigarette went away, Gu Xizhi raised her head and looked at the clear blue sky, took a deep breath, and turned to look at Qu Xizhi.

"I think you should give me an explanation."

Qu Xizhi gave her a look, then turned to look at the distant green hills. "Didn't you hear the explanation just now?"

"Liar." Gu Xizhi came to her and forced her to look at her, "You just deliberately refused to cooperate. You just acted like that..." She seemed to find it hard to describe, and halfway through, she stopped and calmly asked, "It's just that you hate me, and don't even want to have any close contact in acting, right?"

Qu Xizhi lowered her gaze to look at her. The color in her eyes was completely covered by the thick shadow cast by her eyelashes in the sunlight. "Are you unhappy because of the unresponsive kiss?"

Gu Xizhi looked away and said, "That's not the case. I just want to say that this is filming. I hope it can be done professionally and not be disturbed by real-life emotions."

"Can't we shoot it a few more times if it doesn't work the first time? Are you so impatient?"

"With your acting skills, how could a small kiss scene encounter obstacles? It's impossible to believe."

"Am I a god?"

"But you can at least make an effort instead of resisting passively like just now."

Qu Xizhi looked at her quietly for a while, then said, "Okay." She sighed deeply. "If it has to be this way." She reached for her wrist, bringing her closer, and without a word, she lowered her head to kiss her lips.

Her body suddenly came under the control of an external force, and Gu Xizhi was invaded by a wanton kiss before she could react. Even though she had shared intimate moments with the person in front of her just a few minutes ago, the difference between the performance for the movie and the present moment prompted Gu Xizhi to push her away immediately.

"What are you doing?" She took several steps back, looking slightly disheveled from evading.

"Wasn't it supposed to be a responsive kiss?" Qu Xizhi stepped closer to her, forcing her into a corner. "Try it now." She didn't give her a chance to speak and firmly kissed her.

Behind them was the hard rockery stone. Gu Xizhi was pressed against the waist by the smooth stone without taking a step back. The kiss on her lips was so passionate, as if it wanted to devour her as if the ice-cold demeanor from earlier had been replaced by someone else entirely. Gu Xizhi panicked and subconsciously pushed her hard, but no matter how hard she beat her shoulders with her fists and evaded her kiss, Qu Xizhi only tightened her grip on her hands, deepening the kiss on her lips step by step.

Her kiss was hot, aggressive, and even maliciously seductive. Gu Xizhi was extremely afraid of this feeling as if she was avoiding some kind of abyss that was easy to sink into, and kept beating her shoulders with her fist.

Although the strength of a woman's fist is not great, if one really wants to resist some kind of aggression, its power should not be underestimated.

During the random pounding, many unpredictable situations were inevitable, and the strength of resistance increased. When a certain force touched her heart, Qu Xizhi clearly paused, silently staring into Gu Xizhi's eyes.

Seemingly aware of this unusual situation, Gu Xizhi looked up at her, then at the spot over her heart, a little shocked and unsure of what to do.

"..." After a long pause, Gu Xizhi, who had recovered from the shock, couldn't help but want to say something.

Qu Xizhi didn't listen to her words and deeply kissed her lips while looking into her eyes.

Her eyes were like deep oceans, and in their gentleness, it was easy to be mistaken for deep affection. Gu Xizhi watched her kiss silently. At first, she wondered how to safely push her away and free herself from this gentle restraint. However, as Qu Xizhi's lips and tongue continued to caress hers, she suddenly felt a sense of abandonment and thought, It's okay, this is fine, just this once, let her do she wants to.

There was a moment of sadness in her eyes.

The tip of her tongue entered her lips with a slight hook. Before she could close her teeth, she pinched her chin and inserted her tongue at will. Then, as if relying on her not daring to hurt her, she found her tongue at will, and her bold actions felt somewhat arrogant.

Qu Xizhi's kiss seemed unrestrained.

What's frustrating is that Gu Xizhi really didn't want to hurt her.

Not only did she not want to hurt her, but when her lips, tongue, and breath once again approached her, there was even a sense of fulfillment that filled the countless sleepless nights of loneliness. This brief moment was precious, and her intoxicating perfume turned out to be so enchanting.

Gu Xizhi couldn't control it, and even simply gave up her last resistance and allowed her to attack at will.

The distant human voices seem to gradually become blurred, and everything is engulfed in the red and green of spring, melting under the gentle spring breeze.

April, when all things are revived, is heart-breakingly beautiful. The staff performing their duties in the distance seem to be separated by the charming mood. Gu Xizhi stood amidst the reds and lush greens of blooming flowers and willows, gradually having her eyes veiled by a dream-like haze, and all her actions became indescribable.

A different breath and the sound of footsteps approached. Gu Xizhi, who had been deeply entranced, opened her blurred eyes. She confirmed that the figure in her sight was clear and real, as if she had finally realized what she was doing. Her hands once again took on a resisting posture of pushing outward.

Qu Xizhi ignored her rejection. Even though she knew the other person had become particularly unfocused. She relished not allowing the other person to push her away first.

The person standing in front of her didn't say a word, and her expression didn't even change. But for Gu Xizhi, what she saw in front of her was so unbearable that she couldn't even breathe.

Finally, as if feeling it was enough, Qu Xizhi released her hands that were pushing her away and withdrew from the long kiss.

Gu Xizhi's eyes were already soaked with tears.

Qu Xizhi looked at her unusual appearance, then slowly turned her head to look at what was causing Gu Xizhi's emotional turmoil.

"Ara." She didn't seem surprised by this answer and took a step toward Zhong Linshan. "What do you need?"

Zhong Linshan glanced at Gu Xizhi, then shifted her gaze back to Qu Xizhi. She picked up her bag, took out a key, and said, "Sister Jia said that the key given here yesterday was wrong, and this is the correct one."

Qu Xizhi took the key and turned to look at Gu Xizhi. Then, she said to Zhong Linshan, "I'm rehearsing with her."

Zhong Linshan said nothing. She glanced at Gu Xizhi and then looked away, "I still have something to do. I'll see you in the evening."

"See you tonight."

Zhong Linshan nodded, turned, and left.

The sunlight and the gentle breeze remained just right, but in the eyes that had turned gloomy, all the beautiful landscapes appeared desolate. Gu Xizhi closed her eyes as if truly feeling exhausted, unwilling to open her eyes for a long time.

Her chin was gently lifted, and the enchanting atmosphere from a moment ago had now become terribly intense. Gu Xizhi opened her eyes, and her gaze towards Qu Xizhi was filled with a sense of fear.

Qu Xizhi locked eyes with her for two seconds and then suddenly smiled. "Why does Ara's presence seem to make you so unhappy?"

Perhaps it's because she had done something wrong, so any words now sound like a huge irony to Gu Xizhi.

She calmed her emotions and pushed her away. Her tone was very composed. "Believe it or not, I genuinely think that you and Miss Zhong are a great match."

Qu Xizhi gazed at her quietly, and the faint colors in her eyes were shrouded by the heavy shadow cast by her eyelashes.

"Thank you for being willing to act with me just now," she paused, giving her one last look. "I also hope you find happiness."

Ignoring the other's reaction, she pushed her aside, lowered her head, and walked away quickly.